OPINION: INDEPENDENT STORES ARE THE FUTURE!

I don’t remember which vendor first breached the dam of separation between retailer and vendor, choosing to compete for the sale with the retailers they sell. Appalled, we retailers have had to accept the selling of products directly to consumers by the very brands that became big through our support. From my perspective, this practice is highly counter-intuitive.

It’s a “have your cake and eat it too” mentality. Brands rely on the likes of me to sell their story in my physical store, then proceed to do what they can to intercept demand through aggressive online marketing, cutting me out of as many transactions as they can.

“Mainstreet USA” locations have weathered the storms of national chains, big boxes, and then internet challenges. Some are still here, but the list of nameplate stores that did not survive is staggering. NYSE or other such backing saw opportunity and did what they could to get all the money. Stock market companies had no sense of anything but counting the beans.
As brands helped the national chains succeed, they helped their old friends wither away. Stanley Marcus publicly lamented “Where have all the merchants gone?” shaking his head about the dearth of creativity and daring in menswear (and womenswear). Well, Stanley, huge swaths of genuine, committed, passionate menswear purveyors were unwillingly and unhappily supplanted by cheap, cookie cutter stuff. The appearance of being bona fide menswear merchants was a crucial strategy as a sea of replicants swept the nation, eliminating a huge percentage of the markets that once sustained an army of sales reps. Replicants are substitutes. The public is worse for it.

That “brilliant” strategy made a lot of people rich but left us with a pathetic retail landscape that offers formulaic offerings and no service. They became ripe for the picking by internet companies that said, “why put up with lousy service in stores, get it direct online.” The result was even worse for cachet. But corporate backing went rushing that way as many physical chains shrank, struggled, and/or vanished. So much for the brands and their bewildering ‘wisdom’.

While watching a recent football game, an ad for Stihl Chainsaws came on. Stihl refuses to sell to national chains that would damage them as Big Boxes do. I love Stihl because they also founded IndependentWeStand.org (check it out, indies), which represents the likes of me and my endeavors against BIG. Anyway, I watched the ad for their sale, and as it came to a close, this line appeared, simple and strong: STIHLDEALERS.COM

This major, respected brand directs consumers to a page where shoppers are urged to buy it locally, at one of the independent stores in their network. Incredibly simple, yet nobody does it! Go ahead, prove me wrong: compare that to what happens on any of our menswear vendor’s pages. Hardly any effort to direct consumers to where potential customers can see it, feel it, touch it, try it on, and hear from an advocate about why it’s great. Unless the mission is simply about forcing us all out of business, doesn’t it make more sense to increase traffic to the retail stores they rely on here and now?

Especially (and maybe exclusively) to the independent and locally owned stores that remain. If it were me, I’d give visitors to such a page an incentive to spend at any independent on the dealer list, then reimburse that retailer. Nothing huge, just something to communicate that the vendor wants to see their product at one of their authorized, valued partner stores.

My store, Chelsea Menswear, and many other men’s stores, is going through a notable upward period, post Covid. It’s been decades since feeling such positive energy. I’m overhearing people talk to each other about shopping locally, about being disgusted by the malls, etc. After being decimated in the 1970s and ’80s, small cities are becoming vibrant again. The pendulum is absolutely moving back towards authentic and independent.

I’ve loved my trade since I began learning it. I’m still dazzled by the creativity of the industry, of the brands that create something out of nothing. But brands today need more small businesses to partner up. If more Golden Goose merchants who glorify brands succeed in their efforts, the foundation of this success would be far more rooted in loyalty. Merchants who stimulate the imagination of both design teams and customers are what’s missing; brands should be falling all over themselves to get there first. So vendors, consider this kindly tip: Beat your competitors to the punch. In this world of sameness, unique independent stores offer a brighter future. Help them prosper; you won’t be sorry.

Peter Rose can be reached at: peterfisherrose@gmail.com.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio.